Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows
'' Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows'' was released in December of 2005 for the PlayStation 2 and XBox. Though Gauntlet: Legends and its expansion Dark Legacy delivered a solid reason for adventuring, Seven Sorrows was the first Gauntlet title to draw players in with an epic story. This game simplified the Gauntlet formula, throwing out most of the innovations of the previous two titles (including a few iconic items) and adopting a formula similar to side-scolling hack-and-slash games. As opposed to all of the previous titles, most of the enemies are humans, with only a few monstrous encounters. It's also the shortest adventure by a very large margin and can be completed in less than five hours. As such, it garnered mixed reviews from Gauntlet fans and critics. On the other hand, Seven Sorrows sports superior graphics, sound (music performed by Northwest Sinfonia), and control to previous installments. The storyline is the most epic yet, and is told through cutscenes between chapters. Story The great Emperor had convinced the four immortal heroes to be his advisors and protectors. However, the Emperor, jealous of their immortality and pressured by his six advisors, betrayed the heroes. Deceived by a trusted Emperor, the heroes were crucified on a tree at the bottom of the world. This was the Emperor's first Sorrow. The great power of the heroes was too much for the six advisors who were corrupted by the power drained from the heroes, becoming twisted monsters. The Emperor, realizing the evil he had allowed to happen, managed to free the heroes from the tree, but was killed shortly afterward by the six advisors. The heroes must now fight to destroy the six advisors and undo the other six Sorrows committed by the Emperor. Gameplay Though this game carries the Gauntlet name and the four main heroes, that's where the similarity ends. There is a distinct lack of items; the basic Repulsion and Invisibility amulets are gone, and even the iconic Bomb Potion has gotten the axe. However, heroes can now use a Mana Blast as long as they have sufficient mana (which regenerates), reducing the panic that occurs when Death shows up because one doesn't have any Bomb Potions. On the other hand, this also makes dealing with Death much less dramatic. New combos and moves can be purchased at the end of each stage, using Treasure picked up during the area. Characters have plenty of attack options, with separate commands for hack, slash, launch, ranged attack, various special moves, and, of course, the Mana Blast. Characters can also block and evade using dash moves. Characters * Elf makes a triumphant return, as the Archer had the spotlight for the previous two adventures. * Warrior * Wizard * Valkyrie * Tragedian and Lancer were initially slated to appear, but were removed when John Romero and John Sawyer left the development team. Bosses *Scarecrow *Twisted Man *Golem *Grand Magistrate *Great Troll *Caldera Items * Food * Key * Treasure See also See also the website www.BoyRobot.com which is the website for Ryan Meinerding who was the concept artist for Gauntlet Seven Sorrows. There is alot of concept artwork of the game posted at his website. Category:Gauntlet Series